| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Contact: Najja Thompson
nthompson@nyrainc.com
(718) 659 - 2244
Hopefaithjoy heads redrawn Busanda Stakes
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The 42nd running of the $100,000 Busanda Stakes, which was redrawn and will be run on Friday at Aqueduct Racetrack, features three more entrants and now attracted a field of nine 3-year-old fillies each looking to begin 2015 with their first stakes victory.
Heading the field is Hopefaithjoy, purchased by StarLadies Racing in the Keeneland September Sales for $270,000 and trained by Todd Pletcher. She enters off a fourth-place finish in the Rags to Riches Stakes on October 26 at Churchill Downs.
After finishing third in her debut on a sloppy track in July at Saratoga, she then broke her maiden in her next start on October 5 at Keeneland by 3 ¾ lengths.
The Pletcher-trained Hopefaithjoy is 3-1 on the morning line and will leave from post position 5 with Jose Ortiz in the irons.
Todd Pletcher will also saddle Overprepared, a Quality Road filly who broke her maiden on November 15 at Belmont Park with a Beyer Seed Figure of 76. In her following start she finished third in the Smart Halo Stakes at Laurel Park on November 15.
Overprepared will leave from post position 1 with Irad Ortiz up and is the 2-1 morning-line favorite.
Michael Dubb and Bethlehem Stables will send Diannestillworks. Trained by Rudy Rodriguez, the daughter of Scat Daddy most recently broke her maiden on the Big A main track in a $75,000 maiden claimer on November 14 after having encountered a pair of difficult trips at the maiden special weight level.
Diannestillworks is 12-1. on the morning line with jockey Manuel Franco up from post 2.
Bonnet Plume and Been Here Before comprise a coupled entry for Darley Stable that sits at 7-2 on the morning line. Bonnet Plume, for trainer Tom Albertrani, comes off an impressive 9 ½-length maiden special weight victory in the slop on the Aqueduct inner track. The Bernardini filly, out of Little Bonner by Cornonado's Quest, has finished no worse than fourth in her three career starts and is coming off an explosive victory with the first time addition of Lasix.
Bonnet Plume will leave from post 9 with Dylan Davis aboard.
Been Here Before, a chestnut filly by Tapit for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, began her career on the Belmont turf before switching to dirt and breaking her maiden in her third career start and first with Lasix on December 26 at the Big A. Been Here Before will break from post 7 and will be ridden by Samuel Camacho, Jr.
Winning Move Stable and McConnel Racing's Stolen Victory finds her way to the Busanda after breaking her maiden in her sixth career start. On New Year's Day, she drew away to impressively win by 14 ¾ lengths on the Aqueduct inner.
Stolen Victory will leave from post position 6 for trainer Gary Contessa with jockey Taylor Rice aboard.
Trainer Dominick Schettino will saddle a pair of New York-bred inner-track maiden debut winners in Liberty Island and North Eight Street.
Liberty Island, owned by Xavier Racing Partners and The Club Racing, broke her maiden by 3 ½ lengths moving three wide and clearing in the stretch on the Aqueduct inner dirt track December 3. She will leave from post 3 and is 6-1 on the morning line. North Eight Street broke her maiden in the slop on a race originally scheduled for the turf November 26, grabbing the lead from the break to win by 5 ½ lengths. Junior Alvarado will be up and listed as 10-1 on the morning line.
Rounding out the field is Sweet On Smokey for trainer Gregory Sacco, 20-1 on the morning line.
The field for the $100,000 Busanda Stakes
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